Hi, The manpage should not just document a feature that we don't have. So I put in verbiage that this is missing, and why.
I left some documentation about readline intact, because one may be connected to another host that has a readline-enabled socat, while reading the page on wheezy. br, -- Robert Bihlmeyer
--- socat.1.orig 2012-12-20 09:30:51.665600173 +0100 +++ socat.1 2012-12-20 09:40:57.057582287 +0100 @@ -667,18 +667,12 @@ EXEC, SYSTEM .IP "\fB\f(CWREADLINE\fP\fP" Uses GNU readline and history on stdio to allow editing and reusing input -lines (example)\&. This requires the GNU readline and -history libraries\&. Note that stdio should be a (pseudo) terminal device, -otherwise readline does not seem to work\&. +lines (example)\&. +.br +Due to licensing restrictions the readline feature is disabled in Debian\&. +See BUGS\&. .br -Option groups: FD,READLINE,TERMIOS -.br -Useful options: -history, -noecho -.br -See also: -STDIO +You can use STDIO instead\&. .IP "\fB\f(CWSCTP-CONNECT:<host>:<port>\fP\fP" Establishes an SCTP stream connection to the specified <host> [IP address] and <port> [TCP service] @@ -1979,6 +1973,8 @@ .PP \fI\fBREADLINE option group\fP\fP .PP +Due to licensing restrictions the readline feature is disabled in Debian (see BUGS)\&. +.br These options apply to the readline address type\&. .IP "\fB\f(CWhistory=<filename>\fP\fP" Reads and writes history from/to <filename> (example)\&. @@ -3203,7 +3199,6 @@ ttyS0\&'s terminal parameters to practicable values, crnl converts to correct newline characters\&. escape allows to terminate the socat process with character control-O\&. -Consider using READLINE instead of the first address\&. .IP \.LP \.nf @@ -3262,15 +3257,6 @@ Option reuseaddr allows immediate restart of the server process\&. .IP -.IP "\fB\f(CWsocat READLINE,noecho=\&'[Pp]assword:\&' EXEC:\&'ftp ftp\&.server\&.com\&',pty,setsid,ctty\fP\fP" - -.IP -wraps a command line history (READLINE) around the EXEC\&'uted ftp client utility\&. -This allows editing and reuse of FTP commands for relatively comfortable -browsing through the ftp directory hierarchy\&. The password is echoed! -pty is required to have ftp issue a prompt\&. -Nevertheless, there may occur some confusion with the password and FTP -prompts\&. .IP (\fB\f(CWsocat PTY,link=$HOME/dev/vmodem0,raw,echo=0,wait-slave EXEC:\&'"ssh modemserver\&.us\&.org socat - /dev/ttyS0,nonblock,raw,echo=0"\&'\fP\fP) .IP @@ -3660,7 +3646,8 @@ when address options cr or crnl are used: They show the data \fIafter\fP conversion in either direction\&. .PP -The data transfer blocksize setting (\-b) is ignored with address readline\&. +The licenses of OpenSSL and GNU Readline are incompatible\&. Therefore readline +support is disabled in Debian\&. .PP Send bug reports to <socat@dest-unreach\&.org> .PP
